Steam generating system for vehicles



Oct. 27, 1953 R. WILLIAMS STEAM GENERATING SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES Filed Jan. 16. 1951 INVENTOR. MA L lfl/VS POL/9N0 thereon the fan 21.

Patented Oct. 27, 1953 STEAM GENERATING SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES Roland Williams, San Francisco, Calif. Application January 16, 1951, Serial No. 206,130

' vide an improved steam generating system for a steam turbine particularly adapted for use on vehicles, said system providing extremely rapid and economical conversion of water into steam,

providing a saving in fuel as over previous steam conversion systems, being simple to operate, being easy to start, and providing a wide range of available steam power, whereby the system has exceptional flexibility which makes it especially suitable for use on vehicles.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawing, wherein the single figure diagrammatically illustrates an improved steam generating system constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, ll designates a steam turbine which is generally conventional in construction and which includes the drive shaft l2 on which is mounted the turbine rotor having the blades l3. The shaft I2 is journaled in a housing l4. Secured to one end of the shaft is the gear and secured to the opposite end portion of said shaft is the gear [6. Designated at I! is a larger gear journaled in a housing portion l8, the larger gear I 1 meshing with the gear l6, as shown. Designated at 19 is a water pump having the helical impeller 20 mounted on the shaft of gear I I, said impeller being mounted in the cylindrical housing 21 of the pump 19. Designated at 22 is a water reservoir which is connected by a conduit '23 through a manual valve 24 to the intake port of the pump I9. Designated at 25 is a vaporizer which is mounted in axial alignment with the shaft 26 of gear ll, the end of shaft 26 extending into the right end of the vaporizer 25, as viewed in the drawing, and having mounted The vaporizer is provided adjacent the fan :21 with the air intake conduit 28.

As shown in the drawing, the vaporizer is a formed at its right end with the conical com- 3 Claims. (Cl. 122-41) bustion chamber portion 29 which converges toward a convex wall portion 30 secured transversely in the vaporizer, said wall portion 30 dividing the chamber into two sections, the section at the right of the wall 30, as viewed in the figure, being a fuel combustion chamber, and the portion at the left of the wall 30 being the steam generating space or vaporization chamber of the vaporizer. Designated at 3| is a liquid fuel tank which is connected by a conduit 32 to a rotary pump 33 driven by the shaft 25 and located adjacent the end of the fuel combustion section 29. The outlet of the pump 33 is connected by a conduit 34 to a fuel injec-- tion nozzle 35 located in the conical combustion space 29. Designated at 36 is an ignition plug mounted in the combustion chamber portion opposite the nozzle 35. The high voltage electrode of the spark plug 36 is connected by a conductor 31 to the high voltage terminal 38 of a conventional ignition coil 39. The energizing winding of the ignition coil 39 is connected by a wire 40 to a control switch 4| provided on a control panel 42. Wire 40 is connected through switch 41 to a conductor 43 which is in turn connected through a voltage regulator 44 and a conductor 45 to the ungrounded terminal 46 of a storage battery 41. The grounded terminal of battery 41 is at 48.

Conduit 32 is provided with an electrically operated valve 49 which is connected to the battery 41 by an energizing circuit, not shown, which includes a thermostatic switch 50 mounted in the portion of the vaporizer 25 located to the left of the wall element 30, as viewed in the figure. For example, the switch 5!] may be included in the ground return connection 5: of the energizing circuit of the valve. The fuel supply conduit 32 also includes a manual valve 52 located between the thermostatically controlled valve 49 and the fuel tank 3|.

As shown in the figure, the vaporizer 25 is provided at the right side of the wall. element 30 with an exhaust conduit 53 which provides exhaust of the gaseous products of combustion resulting from the ignition of the liquid fuel supplied by nozzle 35.

The outlet of pump 19 is connected by a conduit 54 to a water injection nozzle 55 mounted axially in the left side portion of the vaporizer 25 and directed toward the concave side of the wall element 30. Mounted in the left portion of the vaporizer 25 is a conical, centrally apertured baflle wall 56 which surrounds the nozzle 55, the central opening of the battle wall 56 being 3 located to the right of the orifice of the nozzle 55, as viewed in the figure, and said conical baflie wall 56 being provided with reversely directed steam escape ports 51 which provide passage of the steam generated adjacent the hot wall 30 into the space at the left side of the vaporization section of vaporizer 25. natedat"58 isa steam conduit connecting the left side portion ofthe vaporization section of vaporizer 25 to the turbine ll. Escape of exhaust steam from turbine II is provided through n exhaust conduit 59 arranged diametrically opposite the connection of conduit Bto turbine, as shown.

In operation, water is injected into the vapor 'i'zer through the nozzle 55 and impinges on Desigthe hot wall 30, said wall being heated to 'a very high temperature by the combustion of the,

liquid fuel in the right end portion of vaporizer e st am vapo zes ra y and ows ba 5 thro h the sor s 51 nt h space t. he left end of; t e po zer 2. nd t en e f w throug condui 5.8 1112 h team. ntake p r o t turbine, I l driving the blades [3. The water pump, 9 s dr n. b s a t thr h sea t6 and II. The fuel pump 33 is likewise driven by. shaft 26. The su ply. of. ue m the ta s e ulated. n ccor arm h h e per ture, of; the combustion chamber by the action of the thermostatic switch. 55 which controls the el ctr a el valve 4.

Designated at 6!) is an auxiliary vaporizer having an electrical heating coil 6;] which is connected; by a conductor 62, switch 4!, conductor 43, voltage re lator 44 and conductor to. the u rounded ter inal moie ba t 1- The heating coil 5| is disposed on the right side of a transverse partition wall 63, viewed in the fi ure. and. d s na ed t 4. a w e up nozzle po ition d a y in, the left en po of the vaporizer Ell and connected by a conduit as. th ou h a manua alve .6 t h W t r upplyconduit 54 A conicalbafile 61 is provided in the vaporizer 60 similar to the bafile said baf le 61 bein prov ded w th e st am tu n onduitsfiflsimil to he n u s; Th water. jetv emer in r m h no le 5; a s through the central aperture of the conical baf- 6.1- and: impinges on the hot, transversewall 3.3, at which point the water is vaporized and is transformed into high pressure steam. The steam returns through the, left end portion of thevaporizer, 611 through the port 68and isadmitted. tothe turbine through a steam conduit 69.

If sodesired, a suitable switch may be provided, for, selectively connecting the energizing conductor. 62. for the heating coil 6|v to the ungrounded terminal 46 of battery, 4] or disconnecting conductor 62 from the battery, as desired instead of operatingthe energizingwinding. 51 in parallel with the ignition coil 39.

Designated at 10.. is a conventional starting motorwhose shaft. has mounted thereon a gear 1] which is contained-in the housing of gear I5 and which is in mesh with gear, l5, as shown. Also meshing with gear I5 is a gear, 12' mounted on the shaft of a conventional generator 13 whose output terminal 14 is connected through a voltage regulator l5 to the ungrounded terminal 46 of battery 41, and which provides chargingcurrent for'battery 41 while theturbine H is driven. The starting motorlll is connected by a conductor. 16', through a starting.

switch 11 on panel 412 and the conductor 18,

4 through the voltage regulator 44 and conductof 45 to the ungrounded terminal 45 of battery 41. It will be apparent that when switch 11 is closed, the starting motor 10 is then energized, causing gear II to drive gear [5 and shaft l2, which in turn drives the pump [9 through gears l6 and I1 and which also drives fuel pump 33 and causes fuel to be injected into the left end portion of vaporizer 25 through nozzle 35' for ignition thereof by spark plug 36. In the arrangement shown in the figure, the heating coil 5| simultanepnsly energized and raises the wall 53 to a high temperature, whereby the water furnished in vaporizer by nozzle 64 is vaporized and is returned through the steam supply conduit 59 to the turbine H in the form of high pressure steam. It will be therefore seen that in the arrangement specifically shown in the figure, the vaporizer 60 acts as a booster to facilitate quick starting of the. turbine H, and to. provide high pressure steam for said. turbine until the vaporization, plate 30 of the main water vaporizer. 25 has been brought to the requiredhigh temperature for full, load operation.

While a specific embodiment of an improved steam generating apparatus has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood. that various modifications within the spirit of theinvention may occur to those slgilled in. the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on, the invention exceptas defined by thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is;

A steam g neratin pparatus ompris n a vaporization chamber, a heater adjacent said vaporization chamber and arranged, to elevate atleast one wall of, the chamber to. a high temperature substantially. above the boiling. point of watel fa waterl reservoir, a. pump, connected to said reservoir, a, supply] conduit; connected to sai dpump a, spray. nozzle in. said vaporization chamber connected tov said supply conduit, a generally conical, centrally apertured partition wall secured in, said vaporization chamber around saidnozzle. and located betweenv said nozzle and said fwall, said nozzle being directed through the aperture in the partition wall against the wall, og the chamber, said partition W ll: a in a iut tr t e PQ ,therein, to permitthe passageof; steam therethrough, and a steam; outlet conduit connected to said chamber on the side of said partition walla nno i he firs -n me a A e m ene a in ap ara s Qm rs ns a vaporizationchamber, a liguidfuelheater-adjacent; said vaporization chamber and arranged to elevate. at least; one. wall of the chamber} to a. high temperature substantially abovethe boiling pointof water, a waterreservoir, aliquid fueltank, a fuel supply conduit. connecting said fuelltankvto saidwheater, anelectrically operated valvein saidfuelsuphly. conduit, a thermostatic switch mounted in. said vaporization chamber and being responsive to. the. temperature of said chamber, means controllingly connecting. said switch tosaidvalvefor closingvsaid valveat a predetermined temperature, a pump connected to said reservoir, a supply conduit connected to saidpump, a nozzle in said'vaporizationchamber'connectedtosaidsupply conduit, said nozzle being directed against said wall ofv the chamber, a generally conical, centrally. apertured partition wall: secured in said vaporization .chamberaround said nozzle and locatedabetween said nozzle and said first-named wall.

said nozzle being aligned with the aperture in said partition wall, whereby to direct a stream of water through said aperture, and a steam outlet conduit connected to said chamber on the side of said partition wall opposite said firstnamed wall, said partition wall having ports therein to permit the passage of steam formed when the stream of water impinges against said flrst-named wall of the chamber.

3. A steam generating apparatus comprising a generally cylindrical vaporization chamber, a heater adjacent said vaporization chamber and arranged to elevate an end wall of the chamber to a high temperature substantially above the boiling point of water, a water spray nozzle in said vaporization chamber, a generally conical,

centrally apertured partition wall secured in said vaporization chamber around said nozzle and located between said nozzle and said firstnamed wall, said partition wall having a plurality of steam escape ports therein to permit the passage of steam formed by the impinge- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 10 154,783 Blanchard Sept. 8, 1874 378,663 Davidson Feb. 28, 1888 785,472 Brown Mar. 21, 1905 792,087 Thomson June 13, 1905 833,780 Eisenhuth Oct. 23, 1906 '15 2,076,480 Rees Apr. 6, 1937 2,403,388 Morey et a1. July 2, 1946 2,525,804 Kellogg Oct. '17, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 20 Number Country Date 546,526 Great Britain July 17, 1942 

